Olayiwola Matthew
A National Youth Service Corps member, Jennifer Elohor, has recounted her harrowing encounter with suspected members of the Anambra State Vigilante Group, who broke into her residence, assaulted her, and forcefully took her and her colleagues away.
Elohor, who narrated her ordeal in an interview with media personality, Aprokoking, shared on Wednesday, said the incident occurred on July 13 around 5 p.m., at the lodge where she and other corps members were staying.
According to her, she and her colleagues were indoors when they heard an aggressive knock on their door.
“At first, we thought it was our neighbours’ door because it’s a three-storey building with several flats. But the knock became louder and more aggressive, so I decided to check. Before I could reach the door, it was kicked open,” she said.
Elohor explained that a masked man armed with a gun stormed into the room without any form of identification or uniform.
“At first, I thought it was an armed robber until he ordered all of us to come outside. I tried to explain that we were corps members and even suggested showing our NYSC identity cards. My colleagues also presented theirs, but the men ignored us,” she recounted.
She stated that the intruders ransacked their room, seized their phones and laptops, and became violent.
“They pushed us downstairs, almost shoving me down the staircase. They kept asking what gave me the right, as a woman, to challenge them. It was when we got outside that we saw their vehicle and discovered they were from the Anambra Vigilante Group,” she said.
She further claimed that when they requested to call their lodge proprietor or NYSC officials to notify them of where they were being taken, the vigilante members became more brutal.
“They beat me, tore my clothes, and even hit one of my colleagues with an iron rod for pleading on my behalf. They forced me into their vehicle, pressing my neck, slapping me, and threatening to smash our phones if we contacted anyone,” she said.
PUNCH Online reports in a video that went viral on Tuesday, the operatives armed with guns stormed the corps members’ lodge, accused them of being internet fraudsters despite showing their identification cards and uniforms.
The operatives were seen beating the female corps member despite her cries for help.
The attack has, however, triggered outrage on social media, with many Nigerians condemning the actions of the vigilante group and demanding justice for the victim.
Following the outrage, the Anambra State Government stated that those responsible have been identified, arrested, and detained. It also disclosed that the operatives involved in the assault have been sacked.